A solid grounding in basic research skills is essential for investigators seeking to understand the scientific basis of childhood disease. The long-term goal of this application for a Child Health Research Career Development Award (CHRCDA) is to strengthen the cadre of clinician-scientists at our institution who serve as a critical, bi-directional bridge between the excellent basic research and clinical activities in our academic medical center. We will accomplish this by mentoring and further educating outstanding candidates, helping them become knowledgeable regarding basic science, its relationship to clinical practice, and practical skills important to being physician-scientists such as paper writing, grant preparation and time management. We will accomplish this with a program of mentorship, utilizing successful, experienced investigators who have a track record of nurturing the development of successful investigators. As detailed in the application, our Department has an established track record in preparing physician-scientists for independent research careers. We will offer carefully selected CHRCDA Scholars a closely supervised program that combines protected time, resources and didactic training, along with the mentored research experience. A strong research-intensive environment is described that will offer knowledge, experience and support in facilitating the growth and development of academic pediatricians who will serve as leaders in translational investigation. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]